Score Card is devoted to an unseen but pivotal force behind the best (and worst) movies: the motion picture score. An ethereal veil of ambiance, its absence can be as powerful as its presence, and its misuse can bring down a single scene or an entire film. This column will be something of a...
Much has been made of a possible Oscar nomination for Andy Serkis’ astonishing performance(s) in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. If there has ever been the nagging question of whether or not it was his performance or the work of the animators...
Any honest annual top ten list would have to stipulate that they are the foremost movies the writer was actually able to see. It is improbable, if not impossible, to attend every release in a given year. There are a dozen or so films...
There are some films, and more specifically some directors, to which and to whom I devote my time and money against my better judgment. Alexander Payne is one such...
I never drank the Cameron Crowe Kool-Aid. He always seemed a filmmaker hinting at depth and significance without having experienced either. His films suffer from an incurious lack of...
As I recall, I had zero interest in experiencing Guy Ritchie’s first interpretation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s esteemed super-sleuth. I nevertheless ventured forth and was, to my surprise,...
I found it nearly impossible to watch David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo without the spectre of Niels Adren Oplev’s adaptation prodding my expectations. Objectivity became even...
Brad Bird loves James Bond. This was evident in the Sean Connery-era 007 touches he infused into his Pixar hit The Incredibles. It is even more evident in the...
The search for greener grass lies at the restless heart of Jason Reitman’s latest scab-picker, Young Adult. Re-teaming with his screenwriting golden girl Diablo Cody (Juno), the pair zero...
